New HOPELESS SAVAGES Collection (Mania.com)

Written by Jen Van Meter and illustrated by Bryan O'Malley, the four-part series focuses on the travails of the youngest daughter of the Hopeless-Savage family, Zero, as her first crush runs headlong into a string of bad luck that gets her grounded.

"Zero kind of stepped to the forefront of the book by narrating the first story line," Van Meter said, "and I liked her perspective so much, I wanted to stick with it. Plus, she's the sibling that, as far as the present time is concerned, is the one growing and developing as a person. This allows us to focus on a main story about her learning experiences, and then draw on the pasts of the other characters to provide object lessons about what she is going through."

As with the HOPELESS SAVAGES debut, GROUND ZERO draws on other artists to bring the side stories to life. Each issue has one of Zero's family members giving her the lowdown on love, and these flashbacks are drawn by the original HOPELESS SAVAGES artists -- Andi Watson, Chynna Clugston-Major and Christine Norrie. The cover and chapter break illustrations are by Terry Dodson.

"It's a structure we really enjoyed the first time around," Van Meter said, "and it allows us to keep the creative HOPELESS SAVAGES family involved."

"In many ways, this series improves on the original," Oni editor-in-chief Jamie S. Rich said. "The first comics had to sort of indoctrinate you into the odd family dynamic and the alternative suburban lifestyle they've created. Now Jen and her amazing team of artists can just run with it and give you stories of the Hopeless-Savages being the Hopeless-Savages."

"HOPELESS SAVAGES is one of those series that has a portion of its audience that only buys the trades," said Oni Press publisher Joe Nozemack. "Many of those people came to us when we chose the first issue as one of our Free Comic Book Day offerings last year. So, if you've been waiting to read the follow-up, your wait is over. And if you bought the issues, this is your chance to get it in a new, slick package. For my money, like a good movie or CD, Ground Zero is better every time you experience it."

HOPELESS SAVAGES: GROUND ZERO ships to comic book stores on March 5. It contains 128 pages of black-and-white story and art.